A 10 gallon can be a nice little environment if you care for it properly and have a good mix of fish. Like 3 Kulii Loaches (and maybe a DG if you keep up pwc), 5 female Betta, 16 Neons, 1 male Betta or DG with inverts (like shrimp and snails), 1 Betta and 4 Cory Cats, and so on. The best way to figure out what will work best in your tank is to find out the pH and hardness of your water.Posted via Mobile Device

Unless you already have the 10 gal tank, get something larger. You are really limited in the number and type of fish you can easily put in a 10 gal tank. Mollies need larger tanks and so do dwarf gourami (not to mention the health issues they are prone to).

The only catfish that could fit in a 10 gal are the pygmy corydoras and they are sensitive fish. That just seems to be the trend with fish that are small enough for a 10 gal: sensitive. Your choices greatly increase with even a 20 gallon tank.

Honestly I'd recommend getting rid of the 10 gal and upgrading to something larger BEFORE you get the fish. A lot of things can happen before you that planned larger tank comes to fruition, and it's the fish that will end up suffering. A 29 gal is a great size for a first community. It's large enough to have more than just one or two species of fish in there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluewind

A 10 gallon can be a nice little environment if you care for it properly and have a good mix of fish. Like 3 Kulii Loaches (and maybe a DG if you keep up pwc), 5 female Betta, 16 Neons, 1 male Betta or DG with inverts (like shrimp and snails), 1 Betta and 4 Cory Cats, and so on. The best way to figure out what will work best in your tank is to find out the pH and hardness of your water.Posted via Mobile Device

I'm going to disagree with you here on the kuhli loaches. Three is the absolute MINIMUM that should be kept together; just like keeping bettas in 1 gal bowls it can work, but it's not best for the fish in the long-term. Same with the cory cats; that's the min that should be together. When you keep a fish on the cusp of its comfort zone, you will have problems in the long run. I would also like to say that after having kuhlis and watching their activity level for 5 years, I'd say a 10 gal is too cramped for all but a few species of Pangio spp.

Unless you already have the 10 gal tank, get something larger. You are really limited in the number and type of fish you can easily put in a 10 gal tank. Mollies need larger tanks and so do dwarf gourami (not to mention the health issues they are prone to).

The only catfish that could fit in a 10 gal are the pygmy corydoras and they are sensitive fish. That just seems to be the trend with fish that are small enough for a 10 gal: sensitive. Your choices greatly increase with even a 20 gallon tank.

Honestly I'd recommend getting rid of the 10 gal and upgrading to something larger BEFORE you get the fish. A lot of things can happen before you that planned larger tank comes to fruition, and it's the fish that will end up suffering. A 29 gal is a great size for a first community. It's large enough to have more than just one or two species of fish in there.

I'm going to disagree with you here on the kuhli loaches. Three is the absolute MINIMUM that should be kept together; just like keeping bettas in 1 gal bowls it can work, but it's not best for the fish in the long-term. Same with the cory cats; that's the min that should be together. When you keep a fish on the cusp of its comfort zone, you will have problems in the long run. I would also like to say that after having kuhlis and watching their activity level for 5 years, I'd say a 10 gal is too cramped for all but a few species of Pangio spp.

I've heard, and this may not be true, that balloon mollies can be kept in a smaller tank, because they're about an inch smaller. Dwarf gouramis as well.

I can't speak to the balloon mollies directly as I don't like livebearers, but I can give some insight into the issue as a whole. Balloon mollies are mollies that have a shortened spine thus making them smaller, so this bit of information that you heard might be true. Dwarf gourami are a separate species of gourami from others such as gold gourami and moonlight gourami. They are not just a gourami with a shortened spine. If you really want a gourami, I'd suggest you look at the honey gourami instead; they are smaller and would fare better than the 3.5 in dwarf gourami in such a small space and are less prone to disease like the highly inbred dwarf.

In my opinion, baloon molies or small gouramis would work. I wouldn't put the two together though, because mollies love to chew on EVERYTHING, and a gourami's feelers may be at risk. I would reccomend a honey hourami as they are healthier, a tad smaller, and I think prettier. Oto catfish are adorable and a shoal of 4+ little guys would make a great cleanup crew. They only get to 1 inch big, and are loaded with personality.

I would stay away from DG's, since they are mass bred in Spain, about 95% carry a disease called DGD (Dwarf Gourami Disease) which can really mess up your tank and kill all the other fish, unless you find a local, trusted breeder.